Mourning in Beit Ruzhin: The Rebbe Reb Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura zt"l

Baruch Dayan Haemes: Heavy mourning in the world of Torah and chassidus and the dynasty of Beit Ruzhin.

In Bnei Brak this morning, the senior of the Rebbe's of Beit Ruzhin, the Rebbe Reb Avraham Yaakov Friedman of Sadigura zt"l passed away at the age 84. He was a member of the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Yisrael.

During the past few days the Rebbe was not well and developed pneumonia. This morning (Tuesday) his condition deteriorated, he developed shortness of breath and fell unconscious. Haztalah teams were called shortly after 7:30 to his home and carried out CPR for over an hour, and at last was evacuated by ICUM to the Maaynei Hayeshua hospital-where he passed away shortly after 9:00.

The Rebbe zt"l was born in Vienna, Austria on 4th Elul תרפ"ח, to his father the Rebbe Reb Mordechei Shalom Yosef of Sadigura-Peshmishel zt"l and his mother Mira Raizel a"h.

In the year תרצ"ד the Rebbe together with his family moved to Peshmishel, shortly before the outbreak of World War 2. In the month of Sivan תרצ"ט, the family immigrated to Israel, and after the holocaust he moved with his father the United States and established his court in Crown Heights.

The Rebbe zt"l stayed in New York as a Rabbi of the community, even after his father returned to Israel, but later returned.


During his father's lifetime he established the Ruzhin Yeshiva, located on Ezra Street in Bnei Brak.

He married his wife, Rebbetzin Tzipporah a"h, the daughter of Hagaon Reb Yosef Aryeh Feldman, who passed away on 12th Tamuz, תשס"ו.

Following the death of his father on 29th Nissan תשל"ט, he was crowned to replace him, and in the year תשמ"ט he replaced his father to be a member of the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath yisrael.

For many years he led his congregation at the Sadigura Beis Medrash on Finks Street in Tel Aviv, and in the past few years he relocated to Shikun 5 in Bnei Brak.

The Divrei torah of the Rebbe were recorded in the Sefer 'Ikvei Avirim'.

The Sadigura Rebbe zt"l was throughout the years a strong right wing in the Agudath Yisrael and opposed greatly to returning parts of Eretz Yisrael to the Arabs. During the disengagement plan he published a letter in the Hamodia against the plan.

Today Sadigura counts hundreds of families, and they have their own institutions, kollels, yeshivas, talmudei torah, shuls in Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Modiin Illit, Beitar, Ashdod, Elad. There are Sadigura congregations in London and Antwerp as well as New York.

He left after him his only son hrh"z Yisrael Moshe Friedman the Av Beis Din of Sadigura in London, his son in law Reb Pinchas Shapira, Rabbi of the Beis Medrash of Sadigura in Tel Aviv, and Rabbi Shmuel Zanvil Scharf from the U.S.

During the past few years the Rebbe became weak and could not walk on his feet, but he always came to simchas and special tishim which drew crowds.

The levaya will leave today (Tuesday) at 13:30 from the Chassidus Center on 10 Guttmacher Street in the Shikun 5 neighborhood in Bnei Brak-where the paroches was removed whilst the Chassidim cried-towards the Ruzhin Yeshiva on Ezra Street.

The Rebbe will be laid to rest at the Nachlas Yitzchak cemetery in Givatayim, where he will be buried in the Ruzhin Rebbes lot.
ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

"We recited together viduy in a tearful minyan"
The Rebbe was taken this morning to the Maaynei Hayeshua hospital, whilst intensive CPR was performed on him. As soon as the ICUM arrived at the hospital the Rebbe was taken into the ICU in critical condition, whilst the staff members-Prof. Nathan Wexler, Director of the ICU and operating room, and Emergency room director Dr, Ronen Lipster, continued the CPR.

CEO of the Maayeni Hayeshia hospital, Gershon Leader who was in the trauma unit during the lifesaving attempts said: The medical staff did all they could and continued intensive CPR, but unfortunately the decree could not be annulled, and together with the family members and the Rabbi of the hospital, we were all beside the Rebbe during his last moments. We said together the viduy in a tearful minyan and we recited Shema Yisrael until his pure soul departed.

"In general this is a difficult and sad day for the Orthodox public, and there is no doubt that the attempts of the medical staff were the best, but the decree could not be annulled and the Rebbe zt"l passed away."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!